In the chemical, pharmaceutical, medical, biological and cosmetics industries, products are often required in relatively small quantities and are produced from different starting materials using different formulations, e.g. for different applications or different persons. One example is the medication of patients, with preparations or combinations thereof individually tailored to the patients or the corresponding illness. In view of the small quantities and the individual formulations of such products, their central production and sale to the respective end customers is highly work-intensive and costly. On the other hand, often only one or just a few potential manufacturers have the know-how, or, in particular, the formulations as well as the authorization, either as patent holder or licensee, to produce the individual products. In addition, certain safety and/or quality requirements must be met in the manufacture of many of these products. This is true especially for the production of medicines, which may be supplied only in the specified quality and composition to authorized persons, e.g., pharmacists, physicians or patients.